It is common to provide power outlets along some point of an electrical reticulation cable for the connection of appliances. Although such outlets may be provided with on/off switches to control power flow to the appliance, in many cases this is not required. Nevertheless, the installation of these outlets is an awkward and time consuming process, especially where an outlet is required in an existing power cable.
Power cables typically comprise a relatively thick polymer outer insulating sheath enclosing at least two (active and neutral) side by side power conducting elements, each enclosed in its own separate polymer insulating sheath. Earthed power supply cables will additionally provide an earth conducting element also enclosed in a polymer insulating sheath and lying between the active an neutral elements.
To install a conventional power outlet, the power cable must be cut and the outer insulating sheath removed from the two ends of the cut cable. Sufficient of the insulating sheaths of the two, or in the case of an earthed supply, three conducting elements must then be stripped, again from the two exposed ends, to allow the bare conducting elements to be connected to the respective connectors of the power outlet.
Apart from being time consuming and requiring the used of several different tools, there is always a danger of incorrectly connecting the ends of the conductors to the connectors of the outlet. There is also a risk that the action of removing the outer insulation with inappropriate tools may cut into and degrade the insulation of the conducting elements.
Non-switched power outlets are known which obviate at least some of the above disadvantages. Thus AU200242444 B2 discloses a power outlet which may be installed on a power cable without cutting the cable. A disadvantage of the arrangement disclosed in this patent however is that the heavy outer insulating sheath must be removed. This is particularly difficult to do if the cable is an existing one, typically stretched tight and clipped to some supporting surface. The difficulty is exacerbated by the risk of cutting into and damaging the insulation of the conducting elements and even the conducting elements themselves.
In non-power outlet devices such as cable connectors, insulation displacement arrangements in which both an outer insulating sheath and inner insulation are cut to bring the conductor into contact with the cutting elements are known. Thus for example the USPTO Classes include class 439/409 “Pivoting cutter, pivoting means to operate cutter or pivoting means to move conductor against cutter.”
An examples of such a device is U.S. Pat. No. 7,942,689 which discloses “a wire carrier and a base. Pierce points on the base are, slid along opposed walls in a slot in the carrier to align small tips on the ends of the pierce points to form electrical connections with a conductor in a wire in the carrier”. Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,269 in which cutting blades are rotated about a pivot point to cut through outer and inner insulation to come into electrical contact with each of three conductor cores.
It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate some of the above disadvantages.